Election Coverage

From the Wisconsin Examiner:

By Examiner Staff
November 3, 2020

This Examiner’s live 2020 election blog, with reports from around the state.

Wisconsin Election Commission reports no issues as polls open

By: Henry Redman

As polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Wisconsin Election Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said in a morning press briefing that there were no reports of issues as municipalities across the state opened in-person voting.

In an expected high turnout election taking place during a pandemic, Wolfe also gave updates on how local officials are ready for the challenges that brings.

There are 200-300 Wisconsin National Guard members in reserve to step in as poll workers if municipalities face a shortage at any point throughout the day. Wolfe said the needs of municipalities are always shifting but most places have a separate reserve of civilian poll workers or government employees so the Guard is a final stop gap.

In Outagamie and Calumet counties, which are facing the challenge of reconstructing more than 13,500 absentee ballots due to a polling error — and the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s refusal to provide a better solution — Wolfe said clerks feel confident.

“I think overall they were feeling confident they were able to find enough for workers to help with those additional remaking of ballots tonight,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe also reminded voters that mask wearing is required for poll workers and election observers but only recommended for voters because an additional qualification cannot be put on someone’s constitutional right to vote.

For people going to the polls today, they’ll need to bring a photo ID. Absentee ballots can still be dropped off in person as well.

All local information for how and where to cast a ballot is available at MyVote.WI.gov

Faith leaders head to polls to safeguard voters’ rights

By: Erik Gunn

As Election Day dawns, faith leaders around the state are among those gathering at polling places to support voters casting their ballots in person.

The Wisconsin Council of Churches (WCC) and Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice (WFVJ) have been partners for more than a year in the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign to educate and register voters and help them get to the polls. The project has included education and discussion programs on voting rights as well on voter suppression and its intersection with racism.

In a partnership with several voting-rights organizations, “we’ve been working most recently on training clergy and laypeople to engage in voter protection — both on Election Day and in the time between Election Day and Inauguration Day,” says Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, executive director Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice.

The campaign is working with lawyers who have represented voters and other groups that work to register voters and ensure voter rights.

The clergy and lay volunteers trained in “de-escalation” techniques will be out on Tuesday to support voters and promote peace in an election that has stirred fear of possible disruption by outsiders seeking to intimidate voters. Teams are planned for Madison, Milwaukee and Kenosha, and there may be others elsewhere in the state, according to organizers.

“They will be making sure things stay calm and peaceful,” Margulis says. “Making sure people are not intimidated out of voting. Helping people who face long lines remain patient as they wait to vote.”

Margulis says the campaign is hoping for a calm and peaceful election, while also “trying to be prepared as we possibly can.” Participating clergy are being asked to wear clerical collars, if appropriate to their tradition, or other emblems of their faith leadership. “We think that even just seeing that there are clergy there will, hopefully, help keep things calm and peaceful, Margulis says.

For the WCC, it’s part of the organization’s ongoing focus on the “stewardship of public life — where we pay attention to what’s happening in the public sphere from a theological framework,” says Rev. Kerri Parker, the council’s executive director.

“What’s happening between the church and its neighbors, what’s happening between each person and their neighbor, what’s happening in public life, is really a concern of all of us,” Parker explains. “What we vote on and how we come to vote are deeply faithful concerns.”

The campaign has also organized volunteers who, aware of the obstacles that many people face when it comes to voting, heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, “want to make sure their neighbor is able to vote without trouble and interference and believe this is part of their responsibility,” she adds.

A central message for 2020 has been that while Election Day might be culmination of the voting process, the final outcome is unlikely to be known immediately.

“We’ve been looking at absentee ballots and mail-in ballots and recognizing that it’s going to take a while to count all the ballots this year,” Parker says. “That’s OK. As faith leaders we’re prepared to continue to be present for our communities in the days after the election while we wait patiently for the outcome of the count, and trust the system to do what it does.”

“If it takes time,” Margulis says, “it’s not for anything bad, because democracy is working. We are working very hard to make sure that every vote gets counted.”

What you need to know before voting on Election Day

By: Henry Redman

For those not among the 1.8 million Wisconsinites who have already cast a ballot in the 2020 general election, there are still several ways for voters to vote and important things to remember before heading to the polls.

Polls open everywhere in Wisconsin at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. People still in line at 8 p.m. should remain in line as they will still be able to vote.

For people who need to register or update their address, Wisconsin allows same day voter registration. Voters need to bring a proof of residence document such as a driver’s license or state ID.

Absentee ballots can still be returned on Tuesday though the rules differ by municipality. In Madison, the city’s drop boxes are no longer available but ballots can be brought to the city clerk’s office or a voter’s polling location.

In municipalities that use a central count facility to count absentee ballots (39 cities including Milwaukee, check online), voters must bring ballots to municipal clerk’s offices or to the central count location itself.

Absentee ballots must be returned by 8 p.m.

All local information can be found at MyVote.WI.Gov.

This story was originally published by the Wisconsin Examiner. For more stories from the Wisconsin Examiner, visit WisconsinExaminer.com.